Boating Safety Class Contribution Program

The deadline for project submissions under the BSCCP for fiscal year 2012-13 has passed. Please continue to check this website for updates and application information.

In June 2008, Transport Canada Marine Safety established the five year Boating Safety Class Contribution Program (BSCCP).

The BSCCP will run until March 31, 2013 and will allocate between $300,000 and $400,000 for the last year of the Program, from April 1, 2012 until March 31, 2013.

However, this amount will be reviewed and will be subject to departmental priorities and adjusted as required.

Background

Historically, the federal government has leveraged the support, and wide-reaching network, of volunteered-based organizations to promote boating safety. Over 100 Canadians die annually while boating in Canada. The Canadian Coast Guard reports that of the approximate 6000 marine incidents that occur annually in federally mandated waters, and require the engagement of federal air and marine Search and Rescue (SAR) resources, 65% of these incidents involve recreational boaters.

Further, it is generally accepted amongst SAR professionals that recreational boating incidents and fatalities are even higher on inland waterways (e.g. lakes, rivers), where rescue resources are often few and far between. Data published by the Canadian Red Cross supports this, whereby approximately 85% of boating fatalities occur on or near lakes, rivers and reservoirs (e.g. generally associated with cottage communities), and the balance near coastal waters and communities.

General Terms and Conditions for the BSCCP

Program Description

In general terms, the program’s overall goal is to promote boating safety in Canada by providing financial contributions, consisting of up to 75% reimbursement of eligible costs incurred, toward projects that advance boating safety awareness and focus on the importance of following safe boating practices.

Eligible Recipients

In order to be eligible to participate in this Program, an organization must qualify as one of the following eligible recipients and be able to produce documentation (see note) establishing or constituting themselves as an entity at time of application:

• Not-for-Profit Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs);
• Public Safety Organizations;
• Educational Institutions;
• Healthcare Institutes;
• Entities Associated with Facilities Specializing in Safety and Medical Research;
• Enforcement Services; and
• Provincial, Territorial and Municipal Governments.

Note: Suitable documentation would include Letters Patent, Articles and Certificate of Incorporation, or other Legal Instruments establishing or constituting a potential recipient as an entity.

Program Priorities for 2012 & 2013

Based on boating-related fatality information provided by the Canadian Red Cross in 2011 (BOATING: Immersion and Trauma Deaths in Canada: 18 Years of Research), a number of Program Priorities have been established for the remaining year 2012-13 of this Program.

Applicants are encouraged to develop project proposals based on the following Program Target Groups and Program Categories priorities:

Mandatory Eligibility Criteria

Each project proposal must clearly support at least one (1) of the mandatory eligibility criteria listed below under (A) Program Objectives, (B) Program Target Group and (C) Program Category. More specifically, each project must:

1. Support at least one of the Program Objectives;
2. Reach at least one of the Program Target Groups; and
3. Fall under at least one of the Program Categories.

A. Program Objectives

• Raise public awareness of boating safety issues;
• Increase the level of pleasure craft (or small boat) operators following safe boating practices;
• Improve national boating incident data quality and collection systems to support evidence-based awareness and education initiatives; and ultimately
• Contribute to the reduction in loss of life, injuries and property damage due to boating accidents.

B. Program Target Groups

Using 10 years of data provided by the Canadian Red Cross, several broad-based target groups have been identified to advance boating safety awareness and education in those areas most often associated with boating-related fatalities:

High Priority 2012-13

1. Anglers & Hunters (i.e. using watercraft - boat/canoe);
2. Paddling / Human Powered (i.e. canoe, kayaking, rafting, rowing);
3. Powerboating (i.e. small open boats under 6 meters)

Low Priority 2012-13

• Sailing; and
• Other small vessels

C. Program Categories

The program will fund projects that fall under the following program categories:

• High Priority 2012-13
  Conduct outreach activities to encourage safe boating practices and compliance with regulations through education, awareness and information (i.e. promotional awareness/public education campaigns).
• High Priority 2012-13
  Conduct research and undertake studies and analyses which contribute to a better understanding of boater behaviour and attitudes in an effort to develop and advance evidence-based education and awareness initiatives.
• Medium Priority 2012-13
  Conduct polls/surveys and establish focus groups to determine more effective ways of promoting boating safety awareness programs.
• Low Priority 2012-13
  Collect and analyze boating-related incident data (i.e. injuries, fatalities and enforcement activities), review trends, etc.

Program Financial Structure

Project Funding

Eligible recipients should be fully aware of the following Program Terms and Conditions before submitting a project proposal:

• There are no advance payments under this Program.
• The Program will reimburse recipients up to 75% of eligible costs, on an after-the-fact basis and upon presentation of suitable receipts/verifications.
• Recipients must obtain a minimum of 25% of resources from sources other than the federal government.
• Recipients are required to verify in their project proposal, prior to the project being approved, that sufficient up-front funding is in place to carry out and complete the proposed project (see Note).
• Each claim for reimbursement will require recipients to produce a certified accounting statement and statement of progress against performance objectives (i.e. progress status report).

Note: For example, if an applicant proposes a project totalling an estimated cost of $25,000, the applicant must confirm that $25,000 of up-front funding is in place.

Eligible Costs

The following broad categories of costs incurred by a project are eligible for partial reimbursement up to 75% of the total by category:

• Professional services and labour costs (including personnel salaries and wages but excluding any benefits);
• Rental/use of equipment, office materials, office space, meeting space and travel costs;
• Public outreach and communication materials and associated activity costs;
• Administrative costs; and
• Incremental insurance costs.

Project Application, Evaluation and Implementation Process

The BSCCP Project Application Process requires applicants to submit a signed "Letter of Intent (LOI)" by mail describing their organization (including copies of Letters Patent or other legal documents as identified above) and a description of the proposed project.

Upon receipt and acceptance of your Letter of Intent, a Project Application Kit will be provided.

If you are interested in submitting a project proposal, and qualify as a potential Eligible Recipient, you may submit a Letter of Intent as per the example provided.

Outline Letter of Intent For Completion By Interested Organizations
Example of Letter of Intent For Completion By Interested Organizations

Stage 1 - Notification

Potential Program Applicant submits:

1. Letter of Intent with description of their organization and copies of Letters Patent or other legal documents (see Note under Eligible Recipients)
2. Description of their proposed project with estimated total project budget
3. Statement of commitment to provide total up-front funding required

(See Note under Project Funding).

Stage 2 - Program Information

TC BSCCP Program Office reviews Letter of Intent and, upon concurrence, provides to the Potential Program Applicant an Application Kit consisting of:

1. Project Application Outline (See Note 1)
2. Project Application Example
3. Project Evaluation Criteria (See Note 2)

Note 1: All Project applications submitted under this Program should be signed, complete, accurate, comprehensive, and presented using the templates provided. Missing or incomplete information will slow the processing of your application and may result in its rejection.

Note 2: To facilitate project development, the following Evaluation Criteria are provided.

Stage 3 - Project Submission

1. Program Applicant submits completed Project Application by required due date with all necessary supporting documents.
2. TC BSCCP Program Office reviews all Project Applications, determines any omissions or errors, liaises with Applicants to get corrections, and determines those projects that are eligible for contribution funding.
3. TC BSCCP Project Review Committee (PRC) reviews all eligible projects and determines relative ranking and departmental funding commitment for next fiscal year.

Stage 4 - Project Approval

TC BSCCP Program Office:

1. Advises successful Applicants of project approval
2. Prepares project specific Contribution Agreements (CAs) based on the approved project(s) and Program Terms and Conditions
3. Project Applicants sign the CA in duplicate and return both copies to TC BSCCP Program Office
4. TC signs the CAs and returns an original copy to the Applicant/Recipient: Eligible Recipient is now authorized to proceed with the project

Stage 5 - Project Implementation

1. Recipient undertakes the project as approved by TC BSCCP Program Office
2. Interim Requests for Reimbursement may be on a quarterly basis during the life of the project with supporting receipts or certifications
3. Requests for Reimbursement are reviewed; eligible expenses verified, and payment authorized.

Stage 6 - Project Completion

Recipient completes the project by:

1. Preparing the Final Project Report
2. Closing all contracts, finalizing all charges
3. Submits the Final Project Report and final Request for Reimbursement
4. TC BSCCP Program Office verifies that project was completed as approved; all eligible costs are supported, and authorizes final reimbursements including any holdback (if applicable).

Recognition of Federal Government Support

Recipients are required to provide public acknowledgment of federal contributions in programs, publications and at events where appropriate.

All communications concerning the launching of any project funded by the BSCCP, including press releases, announcements, advertisements, promotional materials and responses to media requests, shall be coordinated with Transport Canada departmental authorities as to the content and timing so as to acknowledge federal financial participation. Further information will be provided upon project approval.

Official Languages

All Recipients funded through this Program will be required to respect the spirit and the intent of the Official Languages Act when serving the public through the Project.

Linguistic requirements may apply to projects depending on their scope - national, regional or local - or on the specificity of the regions, locations and/or targeted audiences of projects. More specifically:

• If the Project scope is national, services to the public shall be offered in both official languages;
• If the scope is regional or local, the Recipient, in consultation with Transport Canada, shall determine the linguistic obligations resulting from the services provided to the public based on the linguistic composition of the targeted public;
• For those Projects where it is determined that service to the public be provided in both official languages, the Recipient shall:
  1. make any announcements to the public concerning the Project in both official languages;
  2. actively offer services to members of the public in both official languages;
  3. make available in both official languages any document for the general public relating to the Project;
  4. encourage members of both official language communities to participate in the Project; and
  5. organize Project activities in such a manner to meet the needs of the two linguistic communities

Due Diligence

In delivering the BSCCP while exercising accountability, government officials must apply the principles of due diligence. As defined by the Office of the Auditor General, due diligence is a term used to refer to the practice of ensuring "that funding decisions take all of the criteria set by the Treasury Board and a department into account and are based on reliable information."

On behalf of the Government of Canada, Transport Canada’s Program Officers apply due diligence in ensuring that project approval and contribution funding decisions are based on complete, accurate, reliable and quality information.

In addition, in order to demonstrate that due diligence has been effectively exercised when reviewing the applicant’s funding requests, Transport Canada’s Program Officers seek to ensure that the following key principles of due diligence are met and applied:

• Sound justification for the proposed project scope, including results that will be achieved;
• Reasonable analysis of the identified activities and tasks in the project scope, including the associated schedule and costs; and
• Accountability for results in terms of the Final Project Reports and financial statements.

How to Apply

Step 1. a Letter of Intent containing the information described under section Stage 1 - Notification to:

Transport Canada
Marine Safety/Office of Boating Safety
330 Sparks Street
Place de Ville, Tower C, 11^th Floor, AMSRO
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N7
Attention: Letter of Intent: Boating Safety Class Contribution Program

Step 2. Upon receipt and acceptance of your signed Letter of Intent, an Application Kit will be provided to the identified Point of Contact for the Applicant Organization.

The Application Kit includes a Project Proposal Template, a Project Budget Template, a completed Project Proposal Example, and the Project Evaluation Criteria to be applied.

Note: THE USE OF THE TEMPLATES PROVIDED WILL BE MANDATORY. Failure to use these templates will result in the REJECTION of the application.

When to Apply - Project Proposals 2012-2013

The deadline for project submissions under the BSCCP for fiscal year 2012-13 has passed. Please continue to check this website for updates and application information.

The Boating Safety Class Contribution Program (BSCCP) operates on a Government of Canada fiscal year (FY) basis, which begins on April 1 of a given year and ends on March 31 of the following year.

There will be one (1) call for project proposals each year FY. The review and approval process for all projects take between four and five months to complete.

IMPORTANT

1. All project proposals must include a signature. All mailed in proposals must be received in this office (address indicated below) by the application deadline. Project proposals sent by e-mail must also be sent by the deadline. The deadline is midnight, Pacific time, on the deadline.

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2. Project Application Kits will be sent to applicants upon receipt of a Letter of Intent with the information described above (see Stage 1 - Notification).

3. It is the applicant's responsibility to submit a signed Letter of Intent by mail in a timely matter to provide the applicant sufficient time to recieve an Application Kit and submit a fully completed proposal by November 1, 2011.

No extensions will be granted; all signed project proposals must be received by the deadline above to be considered for funding.

If you would like more information on the Boating Safety Class Contribution Program (BSCCP), please contact us at the address below:

Marine Safety / Office of Boating Safety
Transport Canada
330 Sparks Street,
Place de Ville, Tower C, 11^th Floor, AMSRO
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N7

Attention: Boating Safety Class Contribution Program

Telephone (613) 991-3419
Fax (613) 991-4818

E-mail: BSCCP-PCCSN@tc.gc.ca